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Sunday, March 8, 2009

From Hollywood, the Sunday Sound Out Show starring Dawn Meehan. This is Ed McMahon along with Doc Severinsen and the NBC orchestra inviting you to join Dawn as she answers your questions!

Hey Dawn! I have three kids (ages 6, 4, and 1) and am scared to death to get pregnant again! Seriously.... SCARED! Like, I'd rather give an alligator a root canal than have another baby! Have you ever felt that way?Thanks to a healthy dose of pregnancy amnesia, no. I am a little scared of teenagers though.

So any more details about the launch party yet??Yep, yep, yep! It's at the Book Stallin Winnetka on April 4th at 2:00! You're all invited!!!

My son is 11 and his pediatrician just recently suggested that he might have ADHD... he derived this after a 5 minute consultation in his office when we were there for a physical and every question he asked my son was followed by "huh?" He gave me a booklet, told me to consider it, and to come back next month for a consultation and to start meds. I did read the book and he matches about 75% of the signs/symptoms. Now I am torn between is he just a completely normal 11-year-old boy who is goofy, forgetful, and sometimes hyper -OR- is this a side effect of his meds (he takes Lamictal for absence seizures) - OR- did the Dr. REALLY notice something in those 5 minutes that I have been missing all along!?I'm sorry, what was the question? I was distracted for a moment there.Just kidding. I couldn't resist. Although your pediatrician may have seen some symptoms that suggest ADHD, I don't think most pediatricians are really trained in this area and no doctor can accurately diagnose your child with ADHD simply from a 5 minute observation. Jackson's pediatrician suggested the possibility to me at a regular visit when he was jumping off the table and running around the room being crazy. However, he had multiple visits to a psychologist and several tests filled out by him, me, his pediatrician, and his teacher before he was diagnosed.I would not jump into medication until doing some further research. Perhaps medication would be helpful. Maybe not. I just personally don't think you should make that decision based on a pediatrician's hunch.

Were you ever worried about posting your kids pictures/names on the internet with all the creepy people that can lurk? I've looked to see if anyone else has asked that, but cannot find anything. I've seen interviews with families like Jon & Kate Plus 8 and they talk about being worried in crowds because so many people know their kids' names/faces.Sure, that's always a concern, but I'm not going to live in fear. (And I avoid taking my kids out in public!)

As an aside, how do you cross out words in your post titles and text?I guess I haven't answered this one for a while. I do it like this -If I want to write: My kids always behave do interesting things.I would write it like this: My kids always <> behave < / del > do interesting things.Just don't put the spaces between these < > and the "d e l".

So, I've been wondering this for a while now. Why isn't one of your kids (or all of your kids) on the cover of the book? Considering your book is based on your kids.The author doesn't pick out the book cover. The publisher comes up with ideas and shows them around to the book buyers. And they don't just randomly pick pictures, fonts and colors either. It's a whole process. They take a lot of things into consideration including what other titles are going to be on the shelf next to your book. I personally like the way it turned out even if isn't one of my kids on the cover. All 6 of the kids are on the back cover though! :)

We have four kids but they're fairly close together in age, and although I'm part of a large extended family, we don't get invited round much! I think I only notice because my brother and his wife have two perfectly behaved girls and are always getting invited to go away for weekends with other family members and things like that. I try not to dwell on it too much - we made a decision to have a larger family and I'm happy with that, but sometimes it bugs me. Do you ever struggle with that too?I'll let you in on my secret. Here's what you do - hang out with people who have more kids than you do! Voila! Suddenly, your family will look small and quiet in comparison.

Is there a way to search your blog? Once upon a time, I think you linked to kids medical ID bracelets. I can't find that..but maybe it wasn't you...hmmmmI wrote about SafetyTats a while back HERE. Maybe that's what you're thinking of? Those things are awesome!!!

11 comments:

"Sure, that's always a concern, but I'm not going to live in fear. (And I avoid taking my kids out in public!)"

You forgot to mention that if someone nabs your kid it's FREE BABYSITTING! I am pretty sure after a few hours with your pack of 6, your kids will be returned and the kidnapper will turn himself in to seek shelter from them. ;)

I too have a son diagnosed with ADHD and went through many doctors, psychologists and tests before the diagnosis was made. Ous psychologist told us not to medicate until necessary and to try coping methods instead as medication doesn't teach a kid how to cope, just makes others feel better around the child. Glad you are open about your ADHD child, helps all of us ADHD moms out there.

In my opinion, unless YOU already had concerns about his behavior, school work, ability to focus, etc., then I wouldn't worry now just because a doctor noticed something in a 5-minute visit. Even if he has 75% of the "symptoms," if you haven't had any problems with him and think he's a "normal" kid, then I definitely wouldn't rush to treat him. I DO think pediatricians are trained in this area (my husband is a physician), but in your case, I wouldn't worry if you haven't had previous concerns of your own.

Love it!Love it!Love it!Can't wait until your book is on local shelves. I'll definately pick up a copy.Stopped by your auction. It is doing GREAT.Who is that Becky girl? She needs a <> smack < / del > good talking to!!!

I have four kids close together, too. And it does seem like we never go anywhere with anybody. Most of the friends I had when I just had one or two kids are nowhere to be found. Fortunately, Dawn gave great advice, though! Just find new friends with the same number of kids or more than you. I now have several like-minded (and Catholic...haha!) new friends and I love being able to hang with them. Besides, it makes me feel a lot better about the shape of my house, as it's not a fair comparison when you are comparing someone with four kids to two. We all agree it went to hell in a handbasket going from two kids to three!!! ;)

My kids drive the brother in laws and my siblings crazy. The sheer number and the noise they create can be difficult to handle if your children are all grown up and out of the house, or if you have 1, 2 or no children. When we visit our families, we stay in a hotel or go camping near their house. Then we can see them for short amounts of time and get the kids to a playground, take a hike, etc, when they get antsy.

My MIL only had 4 boys and her house was always neat when she was living at home. She still told me the kids were more important than the housework. There will be plenty of time to scrub down the walls and repaint once our youngest is mature enough not to color on everything.

I'd really suggest talking to your son's teacher about it and what s/he has seen! As someone spends a fairly solid stretch of time with kids his age, his teacher should be able to help you see how his behaviors compare to his peers.

I'm a teacher (& ADHD-er myself) and I know that we walk a fine line when we have suspicions of a child having behavior issues, etc. Obviously none of us are trained to diagnose a child, but after comparing him/her with the countless other students we've taught, we can usually give a pretty good judgment of what's "average" and what isn't. (We're also usually chock full of tips and techniques to cope with students with ADHD or just ADHD-type symptoms.)

Dawn, I/m writing in response to reading your last Twitter since I don't have that... had at first hoped your last messsage was regarding your part in the play, but I kinda think not since you've not mentioned you are a crying drunk... Anyway, sending you hugs & wish you only the best & a reminder that there are MANY MANY of us that admire & adore you! I have read daily from the beginning, only commented 2x before, but you are my first contact each nite when I get home & think of you as a girlfriend... So I'm sorry to hear of your sadness ... You bring so much JOY & Laughter to the world! Take care. GG/ Joliet

Thanks for the Dean Martin reminisce - that was a pleasant walk down Memory Lane. I had missed the news of his passing.I am so glad you suggested further examination for the boy just diagnosed with ADHD. You are so balanced in these things. This may well be the #1 overdiagnosed, overmedicated ?malady? in the western world. When you look at the statistics of diagnoses alone the numbers are up expenentially in just the past twenty years and if you research back to the 1950's(a full generation ago) the numbers are even more staggering. Given the brain numbing effects of many of the medications used for treatment, (which have been improved greatly in more recent years, but still alter the manner in which the brain iteself functions - which cannot help but affect the patients' thought processes and basic physiological responses during their most vulnerable periods of development - my personal hope would be that dietary and lifestyle structure treatments would be the first choices and hold off on the drugs till other methods have at least been given a fair trial. Ignorance isn't bliss. Sometimes the only thing your doctor knows about the medicine he prescribes is what the drug rep who stopped by for an hour 3 weeks ago to "introduce him to the "latest thing on the market to treat..." told him about it. He left the doctor a case of samples to give to his patients in hopes that he will prescribe their brand and they'll make big money and he'll get his commission. I realize that's an oversimplification, but it is exactly how the system works and most physicians have the best of intentions but too few hours in a day and too many patients on any given day to follow through with them.I'll get off my soap box now. It just scares me to see how many people (doctors included) will be so quick to take a pill without any thought to how it works in their bodies and the effects it may leave behind permanently after the first dose. The next time a drug commercial comes on TV listen carefully to the last few seconds of the ad where the announcer's speech goes into overdrive. That's our wake up call. Now I really need to shut up and sit down. Thanks for letting me vent.

AAArgh! I am just now reading the Sunday shout out, and read the question about the Goat's milk soap winners, and went to the link--and I was one of the winners!! Me! who never wins anything! How did I miss that blog? I noticed that we had to let you know by Monday (at first I thought it was this past Monday, and since it is only Tuesday, maybe you would be forgiving), and then I noticed the date was Feb 28th. Oh well, I am just going to have to buy some of that soap!